This collection of 29 Tribune articles presents the current state of the underclass (poverty-trapped, primarily black ghetto dwellers) through background, statistics, and interviews, mostly in regard to Chicago's North Lawndale neighborhood. Relentlessly bleak, the book portrays crime, family breakdown, unemployment, welfare, and the failure of education but ends with a challenging editorial for reform. Apparently unedited for this collection, the articles contain redundancies and unclear date references; the lack of notes or a bibliography will frustrate those wanting to explore further the many references to studies and related data. The moving accounts, however, make this a useful adjunct to such works as Ken Auletta's The Underclass.
